The Great Eastern Weighing Anchor Off the Maplin Sands at the Nore, July 15, 1865

One of the 19th century's great technological achievements was to lay a telegraphic cable beneath the Atlantic, allowing messages to speed back and forth between North America and Europe in minutes, rather than ten or twelve days by steamer. An initially successful attempt in 1858, led by Cyrus W. Field and financed by the Atlantic Telegraph Company, failed after three weeks. Two working cables were finally laid in July and September 1866, the result of repeated efforts by the indefatigable Field, a cadre of engineers, technicians, and sailors, two groups of financial backers, and significant help from the British and United States navies.Dudley here shows sailors winching up the Great Eastern's huge anchor as the ship sets out from the English coast in July 1865 to lay a land end of the cable in Ireland then set out for Newfoundland. The image was reproduced as the title page of William Howard Russell's 1866 book "The Atlantic Telegraph" (92.10.100 and 61.536.5). In 1892, Field donated art works by Dudley, a copy of Russell's book, commemorative medals, memorabilia, and specimens of cable to the Museum.